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Weekly E-News 5785

January 10 - January 16, 2025

Celebration Shabbat


Celebrating January Birthdays & Anniversaries


Menu


Frittatas, Salad, Bagels, Ice Cream Cake


Thank you to the Rabbis Gelman

for preparing kiddush!


RSVP
RSVP


Join Sisterhood Today!


If you have already joined, thank you!

If you haven't, please send your membership form and payment to the synagogue today. Make checks payable to Agudath Achim Sisterhood.


$36.00 Annual Dues

$54.00 Donor: Annual Dues plus Chai ($18.00)

$72.00 Sweetheart: Annual Dues Plus Double Chai ($36.00)


New Course: Intro to Talmud: The Wayward and Rebellious Child



Does the Talmud seem overwhelming and confusing? How do you even learn a page of Talmud? How do the rabbis of the Talmud look at the Torah, how do they interpret Jewish law, and is it still relevant today? Over the course of several weeks, we will learn the answers by taking a deep dive into a section of Talmud dealing with the laws of the wayward and rebellious child. Deuteronomy commands that a wayward and rebellious child be stoned to death in front of the entire community, but is that really the law? What do the rabbis have to say? Come and learn! No Hebrew or Aramaic necessary! If you are interested, please RSVP to Rabbi Gelman at Rabbi@agudath-achim.com. Class will be Tuesdays at 4:00 PM on Zoom, and Thursdays at 10 AM in person. We hope to see you there!


Motti's new class will focus on the Days of Awe.


The next class will meet on Wednesday, January 15th, at 10:30.

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SHABBAT PRAYER STUDY @ 10 AM SATURDAYS

Ever wanted to learn a little bit more about what we say and do during our prayers? Wanted to know what prayer is in Judaism, or why we say the Mourner’s Kaddish at the end of the service, or why we stand during the Amidah? Do you have questions about our prayers, but never wanted to take a full class? Rabbi Gelman is here to help! Starting this week, after our normal Psukei Dzimrei at 9:45, every Shabbat service from 10-10:10 will be dedicated to going over a little piece of prayer knowledge. Learn the meaning of the prayers, the order of the service, and more! The Shacharit morning service will always start at 10:10 to make sure we end on time, so make sure you get to services by 10 AM to learn a little more about our prayers!

Rabbi's Message

There is a beautifully poignant moment at the beginning of this week’s Torah portion. Yosef hears that his father is not doing well, and knowing that he has limited time left, he takes his grandchildren to see their grandfather one more time. In his bed, Ya’akov hears that Yosef has come and sits up, and announces his intention to bless Yosef’s sons, and treat them as if they were equal to his own children. Then, he looks up and sees two young people he doesn’t recognize. “מִי־אֵלֶּה” he asks Yosef. “Who are they?”


They, of course, are his grandchildren, the very ones that he has been talking about blessing, the ones whom he loves so much. Yosef explains to his father “בָּנַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן־לִי אֱלֹהִים בָּזֶה” “They are my sons, whom God has given to me here.” Reassured, Ya’akov asks for them to come forward to bless them.


There are two traditional ways of reading this encounter. The first, and most straightforward, is that Ya’akov could not see very well. After all, in the very next line, the Torah says that Ya’akov’s eyes were dimmed. It could easily have been that he saw the two silhouettes of his grandchildren, but could not make out their faces. The other traditional interpretation is that, in that moment, Ya’akov saw the wicked kings that would descend from his two grandchildren and became nervous that they were not worthy of a blessing. Yosef then reminds Ya’akov that those children are his gift from God.


There is another way of understanding the scene the rabbis don’t discuss as much: that Ya’akov has forgotten what his grandchildren look like. That his memory is failing. That he remembers the idea that he has grandchildren, and remembers their names, but does not remember how old they are. Maybe he remembers them as young children, not young adults. Maybe he can’t picture their faces. He still loves them—but he can’t remember.


Yosef models how to lovingly respond to a parent in this situation. “These are my sons, whom God has given to me here.” He states it lovingly, as if it were the first time he were in this situation—hence, the phrase “that God has given to me here,” as if Ya’akov were meeting them for the first time. Obviously, his father has met them before. But Yosef gently reintroduces his sons to Ya’akov, and that gives Ya’akov the confidence to give them a blessing.



As we live longer and longer, more and more we encounter friends and loved ones whose memory is fading from them. It is one of the hardest things in this life: both to have our memory fade, and to see those who we care about forget those closest to them. It is never easy. Perhaps it can be a source of comfort to us that we are not alone in these trials. Our ancestors suffered through them as well, thousands of years ago. The most important thing is to continue to be compassionate, to keep our patience, and to keep our love. Who knows how many times Yosef reintroduced his sons to Ya’akov? But every time he did it, he did it with care and with understanding. May we learn and be able to live up to our ancestor, and continue to treat those we love whose memory is fading with compassion and patience.



Shabbat Shalom!



Rabbi Gelman



This Shabbat

Vayechi


Candle Lighting: 5:21 pm

Havdalah: 6:19 pm

(all times are for Savannah)

Annual Torah reading: Genesis 47:28-50:26

(Etz Hayim pp 293-311)

Triennial Torah reading: Genesis 49:27-50:26

(Etz Hayim pp 305-311)

Haftarah: 1 Kings 2:1-12

(Etz Hayim pp 313-314)


Service Leader Sign Up


Are you interested in leading services? Reading Torah? You can sign up on our service leader sign up sheet! If you are interested in learning how to read Torah or lead services, contact Rabbi Gelman at rabbi@agudath-achim.com.

January Sign Up

In Person Service Times


Tuesday: 7:30 AM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM

Friday: 8:00 AM

Shabbat: 9:45 AM


Week-at-a-Glance


Birthdays


January 11th


Sally Krissman

Elaine Weinberger

Rosa Bennett


January 12th


Michael Konter

Leanne Swallwood


January 15th


Julie Goodman



Anniversaries


January 13th


Sarah & Jerry Parker




Yahrzeits


January 10 – January 17, 2025



Thursday night/Friday, January 10 – 10 Tevet

Sarah Dunn – grandmother of Joan Moore

Leon Friedman – husband of Helene Friedman

Ruth Sadler – mother of Kenneth Sadler

Friday night/Saturday, January 11 – 11 Tevet

Jack Levy – father of Aaron Levy

Joseph Weil – father of Danny Weil

Saturday night/Sunday, January 12 – 12 Tevet

Joseph Galin – grandfather of Murray & Melvyn Galin

Sunday night/Monday, January 13 – 13 Tevet

Harold Blumberg – father of Ellen Winters

Steve Hollenberg – husband of Toby Hollenberg

Isadore Scheer – father of Steven Scheer

Monday night/Tuesday, January 14 – 14 Tevet

Ruth Blumberg – mother of Ellen Winters

Thursday night/Friday, January 17 – 17 Tevet

James Burnsed – father of Adelle Burnsed-Geffen

Samuel Cweibel – father of Marvin Cweibel

 

Commemoration of the Yahrzeit begins the evening of the first noted date.


Community Events

RSVP & Donate to Hadassah 

Montag Gallery

January 1-31, 2025 - Grenville T. Emmet IV

Opening Reception: Friday, January 3, 3-5pm


Better known as Sean, he grew up in Manhattan and attended Saint David's School in NYC and The Canterbury School in Connecticut before receiving his diploma from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Following graduation in 1988, he spent time living in Europe and California. In the mid 1990s he drove across the country and made many stops in picturesque Rocky Mountain towns including Aspen, Telluride, Crested Butte and Colorado National Park. Of this experience he said “The groves of aspen trees took my breath away. Their white bark and leaves were exquisite. The Rocky Mountains abounded with beautiful walks. The abundance of glistening peaks rivaled any natural aesthetic that I had seen in Europe.”

Twenty years ago Sean moved to Savannah where he lived until 2021. Now a resident of Amelia Island, Florida, he traveled back to the Rockies in 2023 and 2024 and is where his photographs from this show were captured.


Congregation Agudath Achim

Donor Dues


                                               

Benefactor

$9,999 - $5000

Melvyn & Eleanor Galin

 

Leader

$3,599 - $1,800

Stephen & Annette Friedman

 

Patron

$1,799 - $720

Aaron & Dayle Levy

Allan & Arlene Ratner

Sherwin & Sara Robin

Ed Wexler

Sol & Stephanie Zerden

 

Chai Member

$719 - $360

Michelle & Matthew Allan

AM Goldkrand

Paul & Harriet Kulbersh

Andrew & Leslie Walcoff

Michael & Linda Zoller

 

Supporters

 $359 - $100 

Richard Z"L & Lynn Berkowitz

Adam & Lauren Fins

Ted & Adelle Geffen

Doug & Lisa Goldstein

Lynn Goodman

Seth Grenald

Steve Herman

David & Gale Hirsh

Jonathan & Tova Javetz

Harriet Karlin

Michael & Suzanne Konter

Larry & Betsy Lehner

Rene Lehrberger

Steve & Linda Sacks

Victor & Elise Shernoff

Judy Todtfeld

 

Thanks to these donors for going above and beyond by participating in the Donor Dues Program this 2024-2025 fiscal year.

 

If you would like to participate by making this additional commitment, please contact the office. 

Rabbi Samuel Gelman

Morgan McGhie, President

Motti Locker, Executive Director


Congregation Agudath Achim | office@agudath-achim.com | 912-352-4737 | www.agudath-achim.com

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